Kevin White

ENOCH ARDEN

Poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Music by Richard Strauss

Enoch Arden is a recital of poetry with musical accompaniment and it was a type of performance popular in the 19th century that is regaining popularity nowadays. Tennyson's poem certainly appeals to the emotions, but at a sweeping, exalted level. Richard Strauss' music perfectly tracks and supports the poem, with sensual harmonies and soaring leitmotifs. Tennyson wrote Enoch Arden in 1864, it may be based on a true story, or at least a legend, but at another level it echoes myths and folktales such as Robinson Crusoe and Odysseus. One of the most recent adaptation of it could be the famous movie "Cast Away" starring Tom Hanks. A moving story of true, selfless love, in its many manifestations and its ultimate triumph in spite of all misfortune and adversity. Notable performers of this piece include pianists Glenn Gould and Emmanuel Ax and actors Claude Reins and Patrick Stewart.

Actor Kevin White and pianist Mauro Bertoli have performed this work in several venues always receiving enthusiastic responses.

Kevin White is a gifted and versatile young actor based in Waterloo, ON, who regularly performs and teaches improv, and , as a memeber of the eyeGO to the Arts Youth Council, works with young people to get them involved in the artistic community.

Mauro Bertoli is an International Concert Pianist who performs regularly for important Festivals and in major concert halls through Europe, Asia, North and South America. Recipient of the prestigious Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Prize for the youth as well as the Giuseppe Sinopoli Award he is an established performer on the classical music scene both as a soloist and chamber musician. You can read more about him at http://mitbravour.com/artist/mauro-bertoli

Reviews

"White’s gifts as a narrator made many of his listeners forget they were in a concert hall. Instead, they felt as if they were actually witnessing Enoch’s life unfold. His rich voice and facial expression transformed as Enoch Arden aged from a young man in love to an old, worn-out sailor grieving for what he had lost. Bertoli’s musical interpretation of the events perfectly echoed the sentiments of the narration."

"White exemplified the characters masterfully. Bertoli, using his superb musicality and impeccable technical skills, provided the perfect backdrop for every scene"